An Afternoon with Oobleck

A free afternoon in our house is a perfect time for a science experiment. Liam has enjoyed experiments with water lately but I wanted to try something a bit more messy. The best experiments for us are hands on types with lots to do, lots of steps, and quick results. I have seen a lot of people enjoying oobleck lately and thought it was worth a try.

Typically, Liam does not like his hands dirty unless it is dirt and he is not huge into making messes. Yet we want him to make more fun messes and get messy in the process. I must be totally crazy but I truly enjoy the few moments where he has gotten messy and enjoyed it. Clean up is easy! We are continually trying to expand his ability to tolerate and experiment with sensory play that is a little different than the dry fillers we commonly use!

I like to set up the experiment when he comes home from school and has a chance to rest, have a snack or run around. Usually, a new activity like a science experiment is always welcome and even better when daddy is home to help control the mess! It’s also a nice treat for daddy to get a chance to be involved in some of our activities too! I set up all the items we needed so we were ready to go.

We used about a cup of cornstarch and a 1/2 cup of water and a little food coloring. We had to play with the ratios a little bit and needed to add some more water but that made it fun too!

The process was fun, but Liam, as I figured, needed to wash his hands every other minute and mostly watched me and dad play with the stuff. It was pretty cool and we talked about what it felt like and what it looked like. It was fun and messy, very messy. Glad to have done it but I am still finding oobleck on the walls and cracks in the floor as there was a trail to the bathroom and all over the sink! I am not sure if repeated exposure to the same exact material will help or not, so we will have to set up another date with oobleck soon!

Comments

We have never tried it. Although we have tried making slime once and my son just didn’t like the texture of it. So it made it hard because he didn’t want to touch it. I will reintroduce it to my son again at a later date to see if I get the same results. I might just go ahead and try the oobleck. I have seen a lot of pins on pinterest but haven’t tried it yet.

Yeah texture! This might be a little different than slime especially if it is just lying on the cookie sheet. It won’t get on you but will when you pick it up and it turns to liquid. I like how you can try to make a hand print but nothing happens! Worth a try right?! Thanks for stopping by.

We’re actually using Oobleck as a Science Lesson at our church’s ScienceCamp this year. It’s going to be a blast! Sensory- play- have you heard of moon dough? My DD loves it, although I’m not sure exactly what you’re looking for. This was softer (and less oderous) than playdoh but not quite to the consistency of oobleck so the messy and pulling at the hands doesn’t happen. NOT MOON SAND- that has been reported to have fiberglass in it- my childs hands flared in to a major rash and she couldn’t close them for days. Moon dough. I know it’s not a make at home but could make a nice bday gift.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Recipe Rating

We LOVE science! We LOVE Slime, and we LOVE all things STEM related. Join us on our journey to discover just how cool science can be. Want to know how to get started? Click on any of the images or menu options!